


If I Didn't Care

by slxightofhand



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Courier with no name, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confession, Nonbinary Character, Other, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:52:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slxightofhand/pseuds/slxightofhand
Summary: Yes Man has been feeling a certain kind of way about a certain kind of person for a long while now. He doesn't know if it's the new AI playing tricks on him, or the way the Courier's so kind to him, or what, but he can't contain himself any longer.





	If I Didn't Care

It was late when Yes Man approached Courier Six, having “zapped” himself temporarily into one of the Securitrons that guarded the Lucky 38’s penthouse just to speak with them. “Six?” he tried, on-screen eyebrows furrowed worriedly. “Can I have a word with you?”

 

Six looked up from their current shot glass and bottle of whiskey, and smiled. “Sure, Yes Man. I’d offer you a seat and a drink, but...neither of those are really possibilities.”

 

They laughed, and Yes Man found himself laughing along with them, just a little.

 

It was hard for the Securitron-based AI to get used to...genuine reactions like this. The modifications he made to himself hadn’t quite taken yet. Sadness at the advent of a death or after a long span of time being left alone was one of his least favorites; anger was neck-and-neck with it, as he found himself hating, truly hating whoever might wrong Six, or those who had attempted to rob the Lucky 38 after the second battle of Hoover Dam.

 

(And that’s not even making mention of his new screen expressions. It’d been mere days since he mastered blinking, and hours since he’d mastered mouth movements aside from his usual smile.)

 

But happiness, and affection… Yes Man had felt those from the start towards Six, sure, but it was almost forced at first. Benny had programmed him to be at the very least  _ compliant _ with everyone, after all. (He did like being nice, though. It made him feel good.)

 

But all  _ they _ would do--rather than yell at him and call him worthless like Benny did when he couldn’t do something  _ right then _ \--was give him second chances, and genuine kindness, and...well. Anything any good person would give another real, live person. Even in this hellish wasteland.

 

Six treated him like such a person, like...an equal. A human. They hugged him after they found each other again days after the second battle of the Hoover Dam, walked with him all the way back to the Lucky 38, and talked to him for hours. The relieved, but ultimately  _ satisfied _ smile plastered on their face could be  _ felt _ even before they took their famous ranger helmet off, and when they did, it shone like the stars.

 

Yes Man never thought he’d be waxing poetry about anyone. Or waxing poetry in general. And after copious research and careful testing, he knew what that kind of dreamy, spontaneous creative work meant: he’d developed romantic feelings for them. The kind that made his gears turn faster, and made his claws weak, and made his display flicker more and more whenever he would think about how lovely they were.

 

But Sole treated him so good and was the closest thing to a friend that he had ever had and he really, really didn’t want to  _ screw this up _ like he used to do with  _ everything else _ . Oh, God, what if they hated him--

 

“Yes Man? You blow a diode there, pal?”

 

Six broke Yes Man out of what he thought to be simply a brief internal monologue, which actually wound up as a thirty-second pause, by reaching up and patting Yes Man’s display gingerly. Their brow was furrowed, and their lips were pursed; they searched his animated ‘eyes’, as if they’d give them a sign. “Something’s up. You’re never this inarticulate.”

 

“Well, it’s just that…” And the Securitron paused again. “...This is a delicate matter, you see.”

 

“Yeah, I can kinda see that. I’m here for you, pal,” They reached out and rested a hand on Yes Man’s arm. “Tell me what those emotional processors are doing to you.”

 

...They’re being affectionate. Better now than never, then.  _ Rip it off like a band-aid _ , as Benny had said to Ms. Emily when he was about to remove his command inhibitors. “Well, they’re telling me that I love you.”

 

There was a pause at that, but it was clear through Six’s expression that they were taken aback by the confession.

 

Yes Man, however, interpreted this as a sign of failure, of bad timing, of nothing good. So he began to ramble in place of the silence, “And it’s fine if that annoys you or makes you sick! If I could feel sick, I probably would right about now because that is the stupidest thing I have ever admitted! Haha! Let’s get back to keeping what’s between us casually businesslike, then, okay? So, how about those plans to reform Free--”

 

“Shh,” Six interrupted, and cut Yes Man off in the middle of the word Freeside. They put a single finger over his not-so-smiley mouth on his display. “Those plans can come later. Let’s talk about what you just said.”

 

“...Okay.” Yes Man almost whispered, and resisted the urge to bring a single claw up to gently cover Sole’s hand, rest it against his ‘cheek’ on his display...

 

(He stopped himself in that train of thought before it went far too far. They hadn’t even said that they feel the same yet, and they likely weren’t going to.  _ Dumbass _ , he chastised himself silently, though in his head it almost sounded like Benny did when he’d say that during testing.)

 

“So you have feelings for me, right?” Six inquired, and their hand retreated to Yes Man’s arm again. “How long has this been going on?”

 

“I think...ever since you talked to me that one time on the streets of Vegas, while you were working on establishing a reputation with the groups around the city. You took a break and had a few beers with me, and treated me like a human being. You put your arm around me--as best you could, ‘cause, heh, I’m pretty big-- and pointed out constellations even I didn’t know about. It was...really nice. That’s… that’s what gets me the most about you, Six, that you actually want to hang out with me. That you talk to me like I’m not just some cheap piece of hardware, because in an emotional sense, I’m not. And… I really appreciate that, and I love you for that and everything you do for me, and for Vegas. I always have.”

 

A beat passed before Six chuckled. “Hey, I-I love you too, in case you couldn’t tell by the way I always want to be close to you and shit,” they confessed. “You’ve been the closest thing I’ve had to a friend and a confidante, and you’ve always been there for me. And I know that was part of your programming for a while, but I noticed a shift in that behavior even before you worked on yourself. You would get in front of me to protect me during firefights, bring me food and clean water when I was sick, try to keep me warm when there was no campfire out in the dark wasteland nights… God, I should have told you how  _ I _ felt sooner.”

 

More laughter bubbled up from within them, and the warmth of that, plus the reciprocity of his feelings, made Yes Man’s servos whir louder. “You… you love me too?” he repeated, awestruck.

 

“Yeah, duh! You saw me back off of everyone that came up trying to start something. I’m pretty sure there’s a ‘Courier Rejection Club’ out there somewhere,” Six grinned toothily. “Sadly, they won’t have wonderful  _ you _ as one of their associates.”

 

“Wonderful...me? I’m wonderful?”

 

“Woah, now, don’t blow a gasket.”

 

“I don’t-- I don’t have gaskets!” Yes Man corrected them, but anyone could tell his ‘anger’ in doing so was forced. His voice gave away too much happiness, and his display flickered excessively, showcasing his flusteredness. “But if I did, they’d be yours! As would the rest of me, too, ‘cause you’re pretty wonderful yourself!”

 

Six giggled bashfully at that, and reached up to cup Yes Man’s on-screen cheek-- just as he’d fantasized moments ago. “Thank you, Yes Man. I like the way that sounds.”

 

Yes Man’s claw slowly found its way to the Courier’s back, something he’d picked up from seeing one too many posters and reading one too many romance novels in his spare time. “You’re...welcome, Six.”

 

The courier’s smile grew warm at the new touch. They let the moment linger as it was for a spell, enjoying the cautious closeness, then beckoned Yes Man down closer with a wave of their hand.

 

“Yes?” The securitron bent down a bit as asked, seemingly spellbound. (Though it felt good to actually be able to  _ want _ to do something, rather than just having to do it.)

 

With that, Courier Six leaned up a little and kissed Yes Man’s screen, right where his mouth was on his display. They remained there for a moment, just like that, and Yes Man didn’t move; his servos were too busy whirring loudly to divert motion to anything else.

 

When the courier pulled away none too quickly, they wore a smile. Yes Man  _ still _ had yet to move, and, again, they let him be frozen in his cluttered, frantic,  _ holy-heck-they-kissed-me _ thoughts; then they cleared their throat, and he straightened up, claw still respectfully on their back.

 

“...Wow. I thought you were just going to whisper something cute to me.”

 

Courier Six laughed again, reached up to wipe the lip balm smudge off of Yes Man’s screen with their thumb. “Yeah? Like what?”

 

“Like… ‘Oh, Yes Man, you’re so handsome and dashing and kind, please sweep me off my feet’!” This imaginative response was, of course, accompanied by creative movements of Yes Man’s free arm and claw.

 

Six had to steady themself against Yes Man’s metallic chassis as they wheezed, apparently in a very giggly mood. (Yes Man noticed that alcohol had that effect on them. It was adorable… until they drank far too much. Thankfully, that wasn’t right now.) “Yeah? Well, if Imaginary Me can ask you to do it, I bet I can too. Sweep me off my feet, Yes Man.”

 

“With pleasure!” Yes Man almost shouted, mood having done a 180-degree turn at this point, and gently swept the person in front of him off their feet and cradled them close to the chest that they were once leaning on.

 

Said person yelped at that, not expecting him to follow  _ that _ order. Little did they know that old habits died hard. “Oh,” Six remarked after a moment, “that’s quite nice, actually. Forgot how warm you are.”

 

“Just enough to stave off the Mojave nights!” Yes Man’s cartoonish eyes beamed down at Six.

 

“Mm, indeed. I remember that experience well. It was nice.” they commented, and gave Yes Man’s ‘cheek’ a few kisses before settling in further.

 

He giggled at that. “I think so too! ... Do you want me to put you down now?”

 

“No, no, I was just getting comfy,” they dismissed, and wrapped one of their arms around Yes Man’s to prove their point. “Hey… here’s a novel idea. Take me up to the Prez?”

 

Yes Man’s whirs picked up again, where they had previously died down as he accommodated to… flirting with Six. This was another aspect of flirting entirely, though. “Ooookay, but you realize no matter how sleepy you are, I can’t _join you_ in bed, right?”

 

The cradled courier snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I know, something about weight limits and physics and whatever bullshit this hellscape of a world likes to come up with. I’ve got a better idea, though.”

 

So up the stairs and into the elevator they went; Six hopped out of Yes Man’s arms and the elevator when its doors opened for the Presidential Suite level, and told Yes Man to wait there. They trotted into their bedroom for a moment, then returned with a blanket and pillow, clutched tightly to their chest. “Okay. Pick me up again, please, handsome robot man.”

 

More whirs ensued as a result of the compliment as Yes Man picked up Courier Six. They then tucked their pillow under their head and draped their blanket over themself (as they were already nestled securely in Yes Man’s arms), wriggled a bit, and then sighed contently. “Perfect.”

 

“You  _ are  _ perfect!” Yes Man replied, and a feeling of fond, secure warmth overcame him just as he did. Perhaps it was just Sole’s own heat; but, then again, stranger things have happened to him. “I’m glad you finally realize that about yourself.”

 

“Dearest Yes Man,” the courier began as if writing a letter, “you are turning out to be the cheesiest lover I have ever taken.”

 

“And you, the most wonderful. … And the first. That I’ve ever taken.”

 

Six snickered and rolled over into Yes Man’s chest, yawned. “I’m honored… Hope you don’t mind me taking up your arm space, but I’ve waited a while to be this close to you.”

 

That brought Yes Man some quiet, appreciative pause, sans whirring. “Yeah. Me too, Six. Me too.”

 

It’s needless to say that Six fell asleep with a smile, and Yes Man cradled them until they had had more than enough rest.

 

The benefits of a new robot boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

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